GitHub is bringing back the CD-ROM — but only for your code. The company is offering to burn the first 1,000 applicants' public repositories onto physical discs and mail them for free. Developers have until July 6, 2026, to fill out a Microsoft Forms request with their GitHub username, repo link, name, email, shipping address, and phone number.
https://twitter.com/github/status/2072801888525840476
In its announcement, GitHub says it wants to "let your code physically belong to you forever" — a not-so-subtle jab at game console makers ditching physical media for digital-only. But the offer has sparked privacy concerns on Hacker News and 4chan. Critics point out that the Microsoft Forms collects sensitive info like home addresses and phone numbers, effectively tying virtual accounts to real-world identities.
GitHub's form does promise that the data will only be used for shipping, and will be deleted immediately after the disc is sent. Still, handing over your home address for a CD-ROM of your GitHub repo feels like a throwback in more ways than one.